Shutout Is Abbott’s, Not Clemens’ : Angels Get 5 in First; Rookie Pitches 4-Hitter for 5-0 Win

The Rocket met The Rookie Wednesday night at Anaheim Stadium and at least one thing happened in accordance to the billing.

Roger Clemens struck out the side in the first inning.

So much for order and expectancy. So much for Clemens’ presence and Jim Abbott’s nerves and the end of the line for the Angels’ latest winning streak.

There was a shutout thrown Wednesday evening, but it wasn’t by Clemens. Clemens barely threw one shutout inning . .

Abbott, the Angels’ rookie who had drawn matchups against Mark Langston, Jimmy Key and Mike Moore in three of his first four big-league starts, turned his toughest draw into his brightest moment yet, a four-hit, 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox before a crowd of 31,230 that greeted the final out with a standing ovation.

Abbott (3-3) lasted just three innings in his last outing, a 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees, while Clemens had won five of his first six decisions, including a 2-0 victory over Seattle in his last start.

But on a night of role reversal, Abbott pitched a poised, polished nine innings and Clemens, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, failed to pitch three complete innings. Clemens left the game with two runners on and no outs in the third, trailing by five runs.

And all of those runs came in the first inning.

Yes, Clemens did strike out three Angels in the first--leadoff Claudell Washington, cleanup hitter Brian Downing and shortstop Kent Anderson. But to get there, he had to pitch to nine batters--five who would come around to score.

Clemens’ collapse began with Johnny Ray’s one-out single, followed by another single by Devon White. After Downing struck out for the second out, Clemens walked Wally Joyner, loading the bases.

Then, Chili Davis dropped the hammer. An opposite-field double, sliced into the left-field corner, cleared the bases, giving the Angels a 3-0 lead. Three pitches later, Lance Parrish made it 5-0 with a two-run home run and a pitching matchup of power versus potential was about to be turned upside down.

Clemens allowed three more hits and another walk before Boston Manager Joe Morgan pulled the plug in the third inning. The two-plus inning stint was Clemens’ shortest since last Aug. 14, when he was knocked out by the Detroit Tigers after 1 1/3 innings.

Abbott, meanwhile, retired the side in order in the first. By the time he completed the ninth, Abbott would have faced but 30 batters, three over the minimum, allowing just four singles along the way.

Angel Notes

Jim Eppard arrived in Anaheim Wednesday to replace injured outfielder Tony Armas, which, according to Eppard, was about one month too late. The first time Armas went on the disabled list, in early April, Eppard was bypassed in favor of Edmonton outfielder Brian Brady, mainly because Eppard was said have a sprained left wrist. “That was the report (the Angels) had on me,” Eppard said. “But it was an old report. I spent three days not doing anything because we had two games ‘colded out,’ and my wrist was getting better. Maybe if they had asked me. If they wanted me to do what (Brady) did, two at-bats in three weeks, I probably could’ve sucked it up.” In this case, Eppard said, honesty wasn’t necessarily the best policy. “If I hadn’t said anything about the wrist, I’d probably have been up here already,” Eppard surmised. “I had to look out for myself, but it cost me some time in the big leagues.”

Wally Joyner’s wife, Lesley, gave birth to the couple’s third daughter, Rachel Crosby, Wednesday morning at St. Jude Hospital in Yorba Linda. Joyner was a happy father and a relieved baseball player, admitting that Lesley’s condition had weighed heavily on his mind in recent days, which saw Joyner’s batting average dip as low as .216 and his 72-game errorless streak end Tuesday night. “I was kind of nervous the last week or so,” he said. Angel Manager Doug Rader noticed. “I think he’s been preoccupied with his family and that’s understandable,” Rader said.